Kerala chief minister decision nears as Congress CLP meets at KPCC on 14 May

The Congress Legislature Party will meet at KPCC headquarters at 1 pm on 14 May to elect its legislative leader, as the party closes in on naming its Kerala chief ministerial candidate. Congress leaders say high command discussions are complete following talks in New Delhi, after the UDF secured a strong Assembly majority.

The Congress prepared to name its next leader in the Kerala Assembly on May 14. A Congress Legislature Party meeting was set for Thursday afternoon in Thiruvananthapuram. The move followed signals from the party leadership in New Delhi. Congress said the wait for the next chief minister of Kerala would end on May 14.

KPCC chief Sunny Joseph said the Congress Legislature Party would meet at 1 pm on May 14. The meeting was scheduled at the KPCC headquarters. Congress planned to use the CLP session to elect its legislative leader. That choice was linked to the party’s plan to announce its chief ministerial candidate for Kerala.

Kerala chief minister decision after Congress high command talks

The announcement came after Rahul Gandhi met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Kharge’s residence in New Delhi. After that meeting, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh spoke to reporters. Ramesh said the leadership had finished its consultations. Ramesh also said a decision would be made public on May 14.

"As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of the Congress has completed all discussions, and the decision on who the next chief minister of Kerala will be announced tomorrow,\" Ramesh told reporters.

Kerala chief minister race follows UDF Kerala Assembly win

The Congress-led UDF won more than a two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections. Even so, Congress continued talks on who should lead. The process included lobbying by different groups inside the party. It also saw protests by workers at the ground level over delays.

Several leaders were mentioned as possible choices for the top post. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was among the names discussed. Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, was also considered. Senior party leader Chennithala was another prominent contender for the position.

Rahul Gandhi also met Kerala leaders separately in recent days. Rahul Gandhi held talks with former state Congress chiefs as well. These discussions aimed to assess the political situation in the state. The consultations came before the high command moved towards a final decision.

With inputs from PTI